Take a "moonlit gondola ride" to the summit of Mammoth Mountain.

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GET READY TO "WHOA": Regardless of how many times one beholds a Supermoon -- which is a full moon that occurs when our lunar satellite is closest in its orbit to our home turf -- it is always a wonder. We gather in dark spots and sky-big spots and spots where we can spread out a picnic blanket, gaze up, and simply soak in the cosmic show. And, yes, we "whoa" a whole bunch, especially as the big, big moon begins to peek over the far horizon. There's one due on Sunday, Aug. 10, but you can bet that the moon mavens'll be out on Saturday, Aug. 9 to admire the crater-laden orb in all of its Supermoon-o-sity. (Not a totally scientific term, of course, but one that sums up the appropriate hugeness of the event.) Mammoth Mountain will be celebrating the weekend's way-up-high show by inviting revelers to go way up high here on earth, terrestrial-style. How? The resort's gondola will run people up the mountain, where the vistas will be vast and the air especially clear and the stars appropriately twinkly. Oh yes, and Supermoon will be fully whoa-inducing.

GET THE DETAILS: As mentioned, the date is Aug. 9, which is Saturday, and not Sunday, which is the date tied to this Supermoon. The party is on from 6 to 10:30 p.m., admission is fifteen bucks and kids under 12 get in for free, and a "moonlit gondola ride to the summit" is a highlight. Look also for live tunes, a cash bar, and a "(l)ighted walk to the lakes basin overlook from the summit" which is called "an ideal location for moonrise photography." Oh, that's right: You can bet plenty of shutterbugs are eager to go up the mountain with their cameras. You should, too, but be sure to spend a few minutes simply whoa-ing with no other task at hand.

DOES THE MOON REALLY GET BIGGER? Giggle. Don't you wish there was a thrilling blockbuster out about the ever-expanding moon? Of course it doesn't grow, though it will seem notably closer and brighter to we earthlings. How can we not find a remoter place, be it a mountaintop or the desert, to whoa over that?